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.SYLLABUS for English 101—On Line—Spring 2004

Fairy C. Hayes-Scott, Ph.D.1101 Curtice-Mott Bldg.Mott Com. College

810-232-2494 fax:

Office Hours:on-line office hours—via chat room or instant message—time to be determined by class members

Text: Bare Essentials 9th ed. by Hayes-Scott

Note:Students must type—double spaced-- all work submitted to Dr. Fairy

The length of all themes, except for the research theme, should be 2 to 3 pp.

All assignments sent to Dr. Fairy via attached file MUST BE a MICROSOFT WORD document. If you cannot do this, then, just paste your paper in an e mail message to Dr. Fairy.

NOTE: FOR CLASS POLICIES AND ALL OTHER INFORMATION GO TO:

Course Objectives or Competencies—English 101:

No one instructor has prescribed these objectives. The English faculty of the Humanities

Division of Mott Community College has set up these objectives.

1. Demonstrate awareness of audience and purpose for writing by making appropriate choices in content and organization to suit the particular rhetorical situation.

2. Use prewriting methods that help generate and focus ideas before drafting a paragraph or essay.

3. Draft essays, each of which supports one main idea with relevant details and examples.

4. Revise essays, going beyond surface-level corrections to rethink issues of focus, development, and organization.

5. Use transitions so that one idea flows smoothly and logically into the next.

6. Use a variety of sentence lengths and structures.

7. Use concrete, specific words to create a mental picture for the reader.

8. Use standard English grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

9. Recognize and demonstrate elements of an essay: introduction, thesis, body/support paragraphs, conclusion.

10. Demonstrate basic research skills by locating and selecting pertinent materials in the library, including the on-line library data bases.

11. Write an original research essay, using parenthetical citations and providing a list of works cited using MLA guidelines.

12. Participate in the social sphere of the writing class through open discussion and peer feedback by expressing respectfully and clearly questions and suggestions.

What is the relevance of these objectives/competencies?

  1. Increase the ability to communicate to a wide range of people
  2. Increase the ability to brainstorm in a manner that will help one generate ideas before performing a task at home, work, foreign environment
  3. Increase ability to develop one idea and generate support for that idea at home,

work, vacation, etc.

  1. Increase the ability to improve one’s method of approach to any situation
  2. Increase the ability to communicate with people in a manner that does not confuse the listener or reader
  3. Increase the ability not to be boring when presenting one’s ideas, thus, keeping the attention of the listener or reader
  4. Increase the ability to be very clear in providing examples during a discussion so to promote more clear communication with reader and/or listener/s
  5. Increase the ability to avoid those grammatical errors that can distract a reader or listener, i.e. in situations like a job interview
  6. Increase the ability to present a focused oral or written presentation
  7. Increase ability to use a variety of research sources to cope and master the challenges of this century, i.e. ability to research information about an illness that has afflicted a loved one or self, ability to check to see if a certain automobile is really safe, ability to learn about new topics without being dependent on an “expert”
  8. Increase the ability to write an piece of research independently
  9. Increase one’s ability to receive and share constructively suggestions for improvement; also, an increase in the ability to learn from a wider audience, not necessarily agree, but to respect and be more open to new ideas

Of course, there are more reasons than the above. However, this information should help you understand “why am I doing all of this stuff” .

Method of Evaluation

Evaluation by Instructor

Evaluation by Students

First-Half (Midterm Grade) of Semester:

2/3 of grade based on written assignments

1/3 of grade based on argumentative essay

Final Grade of Course:

1/4 of grade based on midterm grade

2/4 of grade based on all grades earned after midterm

1/4 of grade based on research theme

You will notice that there is an evaluation sheet in your text and the same one is on y our CD. You can use this sheet as a checklist to make certain you are following the guidelines for writing a solid college theme. The total point value is 300. All points are turned into a grade:

300=100%A+4.0

282-299=95%A4.0

276-281=90%A-4.0

267-275=88%B+3.8

252-266=85%B3.5

245-251=80%B-3.0

237-244=78%C+2.8

222-236=75%C2.5

213-221=70%C-2.0

207-212=68%D+1.8

191-206=65%D1.5

180-190=60%D-1.0

0-179=50%E0

Non-submission of work= 0%E0

Week One and Week Two —May 4-8 & May 10-15

You have within this week time to complete the task and writing assignment. Thus, by May 11, 11:59 pm., I should receive the first draft of Writing Assignment #1. I suggest that you do not wait until May 11 to submit your work, just in case there is a power failure (Remember: If it can go wrong, it will . And I do not accept late work ).

Reading Assignment

On Website:

Read “Welcome”

Read “Syllabus” (obviously)

Read “How to set up and write a theme”

Read “Bare Essentials Sample Outline and Theme”—(you will see it is color-coded) This theme is also on your CD, but, just in case you are having any difficulty getting into the CD, you will be able to view it via this site.

On Blackboard—“Announcements”

Class Policies

“Use of Bare Essentials—Text Files”
“A Little Background about Writing for Beginner Composition Students”

Chapter 7, p. 74, “Guidelines for Introductory Paragraph” and “Guidelines for the Concluding Paragraph”

Appendix L—Evaluation Sheets, pp. 244-251

“Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs for ‘Sports Medicine,’ “ pp. 213-218

in Bare Essentials:

Chapter 7, pp. 67-76. Pay extra close attention to “A Quick Guide to Writing A Theme” (pp. 70-71). Oh, just in case your finances were reallllll tight, I have placed Chapter 7 on the web site ( All you need to do is click on the phrase “Mott Students.” Then, this will take you into the page that can guide you to this chapter. Furthermore, there is a color-coded theme about three singers. This is also on the Bare Essentials CD. Again, if you were unable to purchase the book immediately, I have had this theme also placed on this same web site in the section “Mott Students.”In other words, there should be no excuse for your not doing this assignment.

Also, you need to follow very closely the format for the outline. Why? I shall expect an outline for EVERY theme that you write for this course. I expect the outline to follow the format on page 72. You will modify this method only when I indicate you can do so, not until.

No, this is not the only way to outline, but it is the way I want you to follow for this course. Former students have shared that it has helped them really see where they were going in the developmentof their paper. Also, it makes it much easier for me to see if you are following a good path, too. So, note that for every sentence that you place in the outline that SAME sentence is in the actual paper;. The outline is the blueprint of the paper, so the paper/house should follow the blueprint. Clear? If you do not like some things in the blueprint, change the blueprint. Do not build the house and, then, decide to change things. That is costly; it wastes time. Time is money,and few of us have time to waste either. So, use this outline in way that will save you time!

Tasks

Make certain you can gain access to all items on both CDs;this includes the photos and poetry readings, Narratives of ESL Students, on the Bare Essentials CD; if not, you are to contact me this week!

Tell me a little about yourself and/or about your experiences with school, especially writing classes. Submit this to Dr. Fairy via e mail () no later than the end of this first week—May 8.

Writing Assignment Number One— Writing Assignment Number One—Diagnostic Theme

It is very important that you provide specific examples. Note how the writer of the outline and theme, Sarah Lovins, does this. And you should note that for every example she places in her outline, she has written a minimum of two to five sentences to develop each example. Also, note in the sample theme and outline that is on your CD and on the website, you should be able to see how the writer develops the examples in the outline in their respective paragraphs.

Now, you are to CHOOSE one of the topics below and set up the outline and write a theme answering one of the questions:

Name three of your favorite singers or musical groups. Why do you like them?

or

If you died today, what are the three things people would remember about you?

You are to post your theme on the Discussion Board of Blackboard in the File folder/Thread titled “First Theme” no later than May 11, 11:59-1/2 pm.

I strongly suggest that you work hard to follow the examples provided in the handbook and/or CD. These demonstrate how I expect your five paragraph theme to be set up. Be sure to submit your outline and theme, with the outline being first. There are clear guidelines as to how the introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph should be set up. I expect you to follow these guidelines (see the evaluation sheet that is on the CD and in your text and these guidelines are stated in Chapter 7, too!). I am not saying these are the only ways to develop an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph. However, for most English 101 students, they are not familiar with any way of developing these paragraph appropriate for a college theme. And so, this is why everyone in this online community will learn the same way, and learn it well. And so, when you go to English 102, you will be able to use this confidently until your English 102 instructor teachers instruct you in the other ways of setting up these particular paragraphs. OK?

NEXT, I shall respond to your work on Discussion Board. I shall ask three (3) questions and provide one positive comment. These should serve as guides for you to think of ways of improving your work.

NEXT, YOU are to provide three questions and a positive comment for a MINIMUM of three of your classmates’ themes. Use my method as a guide for you in how you should ask questions, etc. Keep in mind that each question should help bring to the attention of the writer aspects of his/her paper that need improvement. DO NOT tell the writer what to do; ask questions that willhelp him/her to discover what he may want to consider doing. In other words, we will not take the fish to our neighbors; we will help our neighbors learn to perfect his/her own technique of fishing. Then, our neighbors will be able to feed themselves, body and mind. Clear? Due no later than: May 13, 6:00 pm.

You may find using the evaluation sheet as a guideline.

FINALLY, the final draft of this assignment should be submitted to me ONLY via attached file no later than May 15, 11:59 pm.

Week Three and Week Four—May17-22 & May 24-29

Reading Assignment

Read all of the essays in the section “Before America” of Narratives of ESL Students (on the Bare Essentials CD). You should read these essays thoroughly. You will need to read this section of Narratives twice because there are two different assignments for which you will be preparing.

First, you should read all of these essays and ask if you could be interested in researching on some aspect of Mexican, Vietnamese, Mid-eastern culture? Or would you like to find out why your ancestors, i.e., German, Italian, Polish, Irish, etc., came to America? What conditions did they experience? Or is there a holiday that you really like? Would you like to know how other countries celebrate the holiday? Finally, perhaps, you would like to learn about a religion that is not as “common.” After you read these essays, you should get some motivation for researching one of the aspects that is mentioned in this paragraph.

Go to the library and Internet and see what you can find out about at least two topics. Upon going to the library and/or perusing the Internet, you will need to decide what will be your topic for your research theme—the final exam of this course.

By May 27e mail me, your professor, and tell me the two topics on which you have considered for writing your research theme. For example, will it be about a Mexican holiday, as discussed in one of the narratives. Or will it be about a Vietnamese custom or Mid-eastern custom? Will it be about a Polish ceremony? Or will it be how three different countries celebrate Christmas? Or will it be research about a religion that you know very little about—Buddhism? Judaism? Jehovah’s Witness? Or will it be about a special holiday you like? Halloween—its origin? Kwanzaa—its origin?

Once I give you the “OK,” then, you should try to settle on one of the topics and begin your research. You need to determine if you can find at least nine (9) difference written sources for this paper. You will need three (3) different sources for each body paragraph. This is a way you can determine if you have solid sources.

Are you getting the point?

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Next, you will read these essays in the section “Before America” to prepare for a more immediate assignment—the writing of a paragraph and, then, a theme—a collaborative effort.

Task

Learn to work with others in the class!

Comment on the first draft of every student’s theme who used your paragraph to develop his/her theme.

Now, the comments should not be: “Ah! That is nice.” or “I like what you did.” Those comments do not help the person improve his/her writing skills. The writer should already believe that his/her work is “nice.” As a good neighbor in theEnglish 101 Community, you need to ask questions that will really help your neighbor go beyond what he aleady knows. Do as you did with the first paper. As questions like the following:

1)Is the thesis in three parts?

2)Does the topic sentence have one general idea that refers to a thesis point?

3)Are the body paragraphs clear? Are there three different examples (three different narratives mentioned) in every body paragraph?

4)Have you devoted at least 2 sentences to each narrative and no more than 5 or 6 sentences?

5)Is the introductory paragraph functioning as shown in the samples or on the evaluation sheet?

6)Does the writer have a concluding paragraph that has seven solidly functioning sentences?

These kinds of questions will give the writer something to consider and help him/her rethink how he or she has set up the theme.

Furthermore, write one sentence pointing out the strongest point of the person’s theme.

Make all comments on Blackboard. It is important that the “discussion” is experienced by everyone in the class, not just the students who have contributed to a particular theme.

Writing Assignment Number Two—Paragraph

First, you will write one well-developed paragraph that will be a part of a theme written by eight (8) other classmates. This activity is to help you become familiar with how you and your classmates and the people in these essays have common experiences. We are all a part of a community—an online classroom community and a global community.

So, you should choose the essay that most shares an experience that is very common to an experience you have had. In one paragraph, you should briefly summarize the incident and explain why the writer’s experience is similar to your own. Post this paragraph on Blackboard in the Discussion Board. Due: May 17.

Writing Assignment Number Three—Collaboration Theme

Now, look at the several paragraphs on the Discussion Board under the thread “Paragraphs for a Collaboration Theme.” Choose eight other paragraphs that will serve as body paragraphs for your theme. Each classmate should make certain s/he provides the name of the author of the essay he is referring to and the page number/s where he read about the incident. Now, if you see any content or mechanics errors, it is your responsibility to correct them.

Set up the outline for your theme. Now, go to page 94-95 of your handbook. There, you will see an outline for a research paper. You will use this format for this paper. Why? You are doing some mini-research. You have taken some information from another source to develop your own ideas. So, after providing the summary about your story, you need to document; that means, you need to place in parentheses the author’s last name and the page number where you have read about the incident the author has experienced.

Your outline will resemble the one on pp. 94-95. You will set up your thesis sentence that will answer the following question: What three narratives reminded your classmates most of their own personal experiences?